JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Online self-management interventions for cancer survivors are increasingly being used, but engagement is often difficult for patients. Gaining an understanding of barriers and facilitators that patients experience to such interventions can play a crucial role in enhancing engagement.

Objective:

The aim of this study was therefore to qualitatively examine barriers and facilitators to engagement to an online self-management intervention for cancer survivors with chronic painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) with and without guidance.

Methods:

Patients who had participated in the Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) of this project were asked to participate in this study. The RCT involved studying an online self-management Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention for pain interference in daily life. Thereafter, twelve patients experiencing chronic painful CIPN participated in semi-structured interviews. An inductive coping approach was applied and Atlas.ti was used for coding.

Results:

In total, two themes and seventeen codes emerged from the data, namely seven codes for barriers and ten codes for facilitators. Barriers related mostly to an unfavorable program schedule, burden, lack of guidance, and irrelevance of content. In addition, patients experienced different facilitators mainly related to usability, being engaged in positive self-management and symptom management, and a favorable program schedule.

Conclusions:

Facilitating and impeding factors varied greatly and depended on personal situations. Suggestions for future researchers and developers could be provided relating to recognition, program schedule, burden, and guidance.